Onam, Sweet Onam -3

Chingam is a pleasant month. After the 'panja Karkitakom' pleasant things revisit the earth. Dark clouds, squally winds and heavy down pours become a thing of past. The 'thumba' plants start blooming. The tiny white flowers in the little plat announce the arrival of another Onam. Heart brims with excitement. Then comes the "Onappareeksha," the first term examination. Most of the time, this occurred after the Onam. We always wished the Onappareeksha to come before the festival. It could have facilitated worriless celebrations. Worry? Who worried about exams, by the way? Anyway, it still remained like an uncomfortable pricking thing somewhere in the entire scheme of things when the first term exams were posted after the Onam. It used to start immediately after the Onam when the minds where still hooked to the comfort zone of unbridled enjoyment.

If ‘atham’ is dark, Onam will be bright. That is a belief among the people. Rain is unpredictable in Keralam and it can show up any time as it pleases. So, a few times in my memory, rains dampened the spirit of Onam so mercilessly. As the first rays of the sun falls on earth on the Onam day, the excitement reaches its culmination. One of the boys was turned into "Maveli" by that time. Those days maveli's attire was made of a particular small plant. We called it 'punja' and these plants were seen during the Onam season just like 'thumba' plant. Bundles of the 'punja' plants are tied to the body of the boy who agreed to be this year's Maveli. The entire body is covered with the plant and the face is covered with a mask. That was the Maveli of the olden days. There was some innocence attached to this always.

Kids shout "Maveli Vanne...Maveli Vanne..." (Maveli has come...Maveli has come) and accompany the grassy Maveli to the neighbouring houses. There, the Maveli dances till someone from the house turns up with some coins. He visits a few houses and collects a small sum. That was equally shared among the participants. This paltry amount was all that used by the guys for a Jayan movie at Poochakkal Royal theatre or to meet the expenses on the way to watch the football tournament at the nearby village.

After the rich breakfast that included every kind of traditional items, we straight away headed to the play ground. There was no specific play ground but all open places were our play grounds. People have not yet started constructing houses wherever they saw some vacant places. There were hardly any fences too. On Onam day everyone was allowed to go out and play. Even our seniors came out to have fun. At least for five days from the first day of Onam, all went back to their childhood days. That was the beauty of the celebration called Onam. Kabaddi was the favourite game but many other groups of girls and boys played different types of interesting games. Interestingly, none of us knew much about cricket. The swift lock of the legs of the guy who raids was the key to success in kabaddi. Sasikumar was an expert in this. Vinod was a very good at eluding any kind of traps. Many times, I felt so frustrated to see him slip away so easily from my own tricks to beat him.  Very interesting indeed. Guys and gals knew nothing about how the time passed by.

As lunch time arrives everyone disperses for a break. We never tried to find out what others were going to have. It could be true, many of them who left the play ground for the lunch had not had one, to his/her heart’s content. My grandma, but, would have arranged everything an Onam feast demanded. After offering the first meal to the Gods and the ones who had departed long back, we ate everything we could. Immediately after the lunch, all had reassembled back at the same venue to continue from where we left.

As the sun traversed much towards west, it was time we all got ready for the big event at the eastern village. By this time, all those new Onam dresses looked like a bundle of drity clothes. Today is the day, the foot ball tournament starts. We could ill afford to miss that. The guys line up and head straight towards east, leaving the gals behind. The gang consisted of at least ten boys. All along the tiny bunds of the vast paddy field, we walked in a line, cracking jokes and laughing so loudly.

Next day is called the second onam and then come the third, fourth and fifth Onams. Every day the routine continued. Play all the days and then over to the football ground by evening. Needless to say it again, one day, we all marched to watch the matinee show of our beloved hero's action thriller. On one of the Onam days every time, we took lunch from Nanu's house. 

The customary 'atha pookkalam' had 'vaada malli' as the main attraction. These purple coloured beauties were cynosure to the eyes. Then to match with it, we had tiny leaves of the Shatavari plant. Thumbappoo gave the white hue while the 'dry flowers of thulasi mixed with cinder of the husk of rice grains provided the black. After the work  is done, just standing at a little distance, we felt so proud about it.

Perhaps it were not the best art work but it was the outcome of hard work and dedication. There were no cameras those days to freeze all the action in celluloid films. Still, everything remains as fresh as a vaadaa malli in the mind. No mega pixel gadgets needed to narrate those enchanting images to all those love to take a nostalgic trip to the paste.

Another Onam is at our door step right now and it is Visakham day today. Time to go out to collect flowers. Nanu is waiting outside with the tiny basket he weaved with coconut leaflets....